The Ultimate Act Of Love
by Lavenderpaw
Summary: Love is patience,love is forgiveness,love is acceptance.But the ultimate act of love is...


"By air express,m'lady?"The adult dragon offered coequttishly.

She settled herself into his arms,carefully holding her swollen abdomen.

"How thoughtful.I'm guessing not many wives have it this good."

He held his precious cargo as if holding a treasure trove.

"Let's just hope there isn't a nasty spill before we reach the hospital."

The slight joke left them both completely serious in their ascent.

It had to go perfectly,it just had to.

x.x.x.x.x

Jake paced the tiled floors of the waiting room restlessly.Though he'd been sleep-deprived and running midnight rounds to the grocery shop to pick items ranging from applesause to jarred decapitated fish heads.

A result of her cravings.

He was ready.But ready enough to return into the room and hear her?

"Honey,"his mother started to suggest."Maybe you should sit down..."

"That's the whole reason I'm out here,Mom.So that I can pace."

Johnation and Susan exchanged looks at his estranged attitude.

"Jake,it's natural to feel a little antsy in your pantsy at the very last part of the process but it's something you need to see all the way through."

His mother nodded."It's best that you endure it together."

"I know,I know...I just can't stand to hear all the moaning."

Approximately eight months,three weeks and four days ago,there had been one of the biggest decisions Jake had ever made in his life.There had been only so many ways he could express his love and Rose also.

At the age of twenty-one,he was about to become a father.

x.x.x.x.x

Rose kept glancing over at the door,beads of sweats forming in small clusters on her brow and across her temples.Her stomach ached as if she were constantly getting punched but her mindset rested elsewhere.

With their final settling in Detroit Michigan,Jake had gotten a job as a Car salesperson (his duties falling on Haley) while Rose found that her therapy occupation was a well-timed venture.Now,she was expecting.

They both were.They both had a new future to behold.

_If only part of my future hadn't run out at seeing a drop of blood_.

She didn't blame him though,the process was less then desirable.He'd be back in soon enough however.Settling her head against the pillow, Rose recalled with an amused smile the way Jake had fully panicked.

"Were having a...?You mean your...?And I'm going to be...?"

Then the absolute commitment he had shown,always being there even at her worst times of pain.Her mood swings had varied from just a very mild threat,to taking Jake by the wrist and bodyslamming him one time.

With little or no effort even as she had been well into her final month.

Now,she knotted her sheets and squinted against hurt at the door.

"Mrs. Long,it's time to begin."A kindly elder nurse told her.

"All right,"she musted a tight smile."Could you let my husband know?"

_This is what I get _for_ wanting a natural birth_.Rose thought,a bit desperately._Jake,come back in_._I need you,your son or daugther will_ _need you_.Her thoughts were lost when she released a howl of anguish.

x.x.x.x.x

Haley glanced up from the magazine she was reading.As a teenager she had taken up a bit of a gothic persona.She still remained herself for the most parts but upstaging her brother never grew tiring in her brown eyes.

For no matter how many fads she went through,it was always fun.

"Let's just hope that him or her takes after mine or Rose's-"

She paused at the glares of her parents.

"What?I was just making a suggestion."her focus centered primarily on her mother."Mom,I've read about this place that'll dye dragon scales-"

"No."

"But Mom,it's at a reduced cos-"

"No."

"...with professional-"

"No."

"And I can get it temporarily...you know,to see if I like it or not."

Jake had stopped long enough to shake his head."And I can remember when pink was the new black."he heard his wife's cry."Oh no,it's time!"

A nurse appeared before him in the entranceway."Mr. Long,it's time."

"Pardon me,'scuse me,got a baby comin' through."he smiled sheepishly at the befuddled health care worker."Well,_I'm_ not the baby.But I am-"

"GO!"His family commanded as one.

"Right,right.Going,going,gone..."

And inside he was.

x.x.x.x.x

Rose appeared redder and more pain induced then when he had stepped out only ten minutes ago.Instantly guilt stricken,the father-to-be rushed over to her side and took her slender hand in his.Willing them wellness.

Both his wife and his unborn child.

"Rose,"he whispered to her."Honey,I'm here and I'm not leaving again."

She looked at him threw a screwed face."Jake,"her white teeth showed in her perfect smile."I knew you'd be here just in time to see them both."

Jake lifted a brow."Beg pardon?Isn't it happening right now?"

"Well,"she bit her bottom lip against a squeal of pain."It just did."

He noticed a doctor was there for the first time at the foot of her bed.A silent figure who worked swiftly and effectively.The fruits of both lover's labour were shown in the form of a gurgling,white towel bundled infant.

Tingles of pride coursed through Jake,making him stand a little bit taller so as to see as they started to weigh the baby but almost as quickly he went back down to Rose's level.Both anxiously awaited to see the child.

And the other,of course.

x.x.x.x.x

Rose felt joy and recovering of the flighty fear that Jake wouldn't return in time.Guilt that reached her a minute or so then managed to work itself into pure joy.Nothing could be better then this,nothing at all in the world.

"Congradulations,their twins."

A distant memory that had banked itself on the far corners of her mind was suddenly re-surfacing.She had to quickly remind herself that that life hadn't come to pass but as always,she knew it had.It had with her sister.

x.x.x.x.x

Jake felt Rose's fingers grip his hand tighter as the first was brought over for them to see.The infant had peach-colored skin like it's mother and a bow-shaped mouth.He instantly felt an attachment to the newborn baby.

"It's a girl,"A young nurse gushed.

Rose took her offered offspring and held her close to her chest.Jake ran a finger down on of his daugther's velvet soft cheeks and smiled lovingly.

"Gwendolyn."He dubbed her and looked to his wife for approval.

She nodded."What a beautiful name.Though,let's shorten it to Wendy."

"As a nickname?That's cool with me."

"Sir,"Jake looked up to the nurse before him,her arms emcompassing a peaceful-appearing,light umber hued infant."I'd like to present your son."

With slightly quivering hands,the twenty-one-year-old man accepted his son into his arms;into his heart.Rose watched patiently as Jake examined the slumbering baby boy.He started by thumbing his wide little forehead.

Curiousty filled him as he explored the child's face,wondered in secrecy within his own realm of thought about what lie beyond these features.His hand came to rest at the top of the blanket covering up the infant's head.

Slowly,he pulled it down to expose a fuzz of blond hair and something else which made Jake's brows draw together.It was a pink dragon mark on the child's scalp that could very well someday be covered by full hair.

"Jake?"Rose asked uncertainly."What is it?Is something wrong?"

The staff around him perked to attention at the mother's mentioning.

An old welling of hatred for the mark filled him.Rose's he knew was apart of Huntsgirl,not Rose.But here in his arms was a child that was marked to be his enemy.His own son.It had to be a sick joke,it had to be a mistake.

"Jake,talk to me.Is he all right?"

The infant's closed lids crinkled and his soft mouth parted.Jake watched with his mind going full throttle of all possible outcomes,his greatest fear in being that the child would reject him,when the small boy opened his eyes.

Both looked at each other for the longest moment.What if the Huntsclan wasn't gone?What if they tried coming for him and his family?For his son?

Tilting his head slightly at his father's confliction,the little boy smiled a wide and toothless grin.His pudgy little fingers curled in the air,reaching for him.

A rush of love overcame Jake and he let his son take hold of his finger,the little boy closed around it and stuck the digit inside his mouth to chew on.

"Good thing he doesn't have any teeth yet,"Rose joked lightly.

Jake turned to her and smiled,knowing she immediately understood."He's got a strong grip at least,"he said and handed the child over to his mother.

His arm came around her shoulders and they looked at the blinking babies.

"Aww,he has your eyes."Rose noted.

"But he has your smile."Jake looked over to his daugther."And how lucky can I get,she has your same eyes.They could not have turned out better."

"So what do you want to name our little boy?"

"How about...Cole.Like that?"

Rose looked into his eyes directly."I love that."

From the window Jake and Rose's families peered through the window to view the new additions to the family.Jake lifted Rose's chin as their children drifted off to sleep and gave her a deep,soft kiss.Having not done so for weeks because of her mood swings.Now,he knew his aching had to give.

Had to be satisfied.

He looked from her to the children and in that moment knew.

Love was patience,love was forgiveness,love was acceptance.But mostly the ultimate act of love that could ever be found was only one in particular:

Unconditional love.

The End.

**A/N:**This story was a one-shot.It references two stories I made before I ever knew about Homecoming.When Everything Falls On Me and Time And Time Again.It also references a more recent one-shot I did called I Wasn't The One about Rose's twin.I do have a new story to this but after using the twins in two stories,no way.Feel free to read about them in the universe before Homecoming though.Thank you all who've read my stories.

Both old and new.

For this may just be my last AD:JL one.

LP


End file.
